Love is sweeter the second time around chapter 24
by dementedducky
Summary: nice big chapter ending the holiday


*The next day and they head off to go scuba diving*

"Leah, have you got your camera?" Ste asks as they head out the door

"Yes daddy"

"Bren, you got ours?"

"Yep. Come on let's get a move on" He says as he bustles everyone out the door.

It's a good half an hour boat trip but when they finally arrive and get set up in their scuba gear they jump into the ocean. Ste takes Lucas' hand and Brendan takes Leah and they swim around looking at all the bright coloured fish. Leah tugs on Brendan's hand and points. He looks over to see a shark circling below them and he feels Leah's grip tighten on his hand. The shark soon passes and they relax and continue looking at the wonderful aquatic life. After another hour or so they get out and climb into the boat. Leah and Lucas happily natter the whole journey back about how saw the most fish and who saw the biggest fish.

"I saw a shark and I wasn't even scared one bit was I daddy Brendan?"

"No sweetie" He lied.

Leah smiled and then stuck her tongue out at Lucas. "I bet you were scared!"

The boat pulls up onto the sands and Lucas tugs on Brendans shorts. "Can we show daddy now?"

"If you're ready"

"I'm ready" he says as they climb the stairs to the hotel. "Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Look what I can do!" Lucas says as he climbs into the pool

"Be careful! You can't swim!"

"Oh yes I can daddy watch!" Lucas says as he lets go of the poolside and swims to the other side and back again.

"That's amazing, when did you learn that you clever thing"

"Daddy Brendan taught me"

Ste can't help but grin "When did you manage that?"

"He took me to the pool every morning"

"So that's why you two were always up early?"

"Yeah"

"I'm so proud of ya Lucas!" Ste says getting into the pool with him. Leah jumps in and Brendan neatly dives in beside them

"Can you teach me that daddy?"

"and me, and me"

"Well we go home tomorrow but I guess I can take you guys swimming every week back home"

"yay!"

After a lot of swimming and a big water fight they all head back to the hotel and the kids fall asleep immediately.

"Awwww bless them they're all worn out" Ste says tucking the kids into bed "Thank you for teaching Lucas to swim"

"No worries, he asked me at the start of the holiday and said he wanted to surprise you."

"Well it certainly worked"

*The next day*

"Now I know it's the last day today kids but guess what?" Brendan says as the kids eat their breakfast "There's a disco tonight and I thought it'd be a great way to end the holiday as we leave so early tomorrow"

"Will there be dancing?"

"Of course"

"Shall I wear my princess party dress?"

"Yeah"

"Do I have to wear a suit?" Lucas asks "I don't like the bow ties they make my throat hurt and I can't breathe"

"How about jeans and a smart shirt? No tie"

The kids talk non stop about the disco all day and Ste and Brendan decide to take the kids to the beach one last time. They take a picnic with them and splash around in the sea. Leah and Lucas make friends with this little boy about 5 years old and they all jump over the waves together. After a while the little boy starts crying.

"What happened?" Leah asks worriedly

"My foot hurts!" He wails

Lucas and Leah take his hand and drag him over to Ste and Brendan.

"What's up?"

"My foot hurts!"

Brendan inspects the boys foot and sees a big red mark almost like a whip mark. "Looks like you've got a nasty sting off a jellyfish there mate"

"that means we have to wee on you!" Lucas says laughing

"Eeew why do you have to wee on him?" Leah asks

"I don't know but I saw it on the TV"

"They say it helps to take away the sting and the swelling" Ste says as he unwraps a bit of tentacle stuck to the boys foot. He gets a small zap and it hurts but it's nothing he can't handle. "Where's your mummy and daddy?"

The little boy points and Ste picks him and carries him over to the parents. He explains what happened and they coo over him and take him to the hospital as his foot has swollen quite bad.

*That night and everyone's getting ready for the disco. Leah has her hair in a high ponytail (Done by Ste as Brendan has no idea how to style hair) and is wearing her pink dress with yellow and white flowers. Lucas is wearing a lumberjack shirt, jeans with his hair gelled into spikes and Ste wears something similar to Lucas while Brendan wears smart trousers and a plain blue top.*

"Don't daddy and daddy look so handsome?" Leah asks Lucas

"Yeah"

"Thank you princess and don't my two gorgeous lovelies look so cute?" Ste says pulling them in for a hug and giving them both kisses "and doesn't my man look so big and strong and sexy?" He says in a lowered tone so the kids can't hear.

They head to the disco and the kids are dancing straight away. "Oooh I love this!" Leah says

"You gonna dance with me?" Ste asks Brendan

"Once I've had a bit of Irish courage." He says ordering a whiskey

After a few more drinks the kids persuade Brendan to dance. He starts shaking his bum and wind milling his arms and Ste watches him transfixed as he dances with the kids. After a while the kids dance with a small group of other children and Brendan dances over to Ste and grabs him by the hand

"Come on Steven!" he says pulling him onto the floor

"You drunk?"

"A bit, yes but come on I thought you wanted to dance"

"I do"

"So come on then" he says with a big grin. He starts dancing and within a minute or two Ste loosens up and joins in. After a while the kids comes back and they all have a big family dance. After hours of dancing they all stumble through the hotel room door giggling and Ste puts everyone into bed including a tipsy Brendan who falls onto the mattress then almost rolls right off the other side.

"Whoops, I got ya Bren"

"And I got you" Brendan says with a hand on his chest.

*The next day and everyone is doing last minute packing before they head off to the airport.*

"Daddy where's my bear?"

"Dad have you seen my coat?"

"Bren, do you have all the tickets?"

"Steven, you got everything?"

They all talk over each other, rushing around the house finding lost items and sorting everything.

"Have the kids had their travel sickness tablets Steven?"

"No, I'll do it in a sec"

"Don't worry I've got it" he says giving Leah and Lucas some travel sickness tablets.

"Do we _have_ to go home? I'd much rather live here"

"but what about mummy?"

"Oh.. She can move here too"

"Sorry sweetie but we have jobs to get back to and you and Lucas have school and nursery. Just think you can tell all your friends about the holiday when you go back to school"

"Can we go to the beach? Just quickly coz I want to take a shell home"

Brendan consults his watch. "Very quickly" They check out of the hotel and run down to the beach where the kids root through the tonnes of shells.

"Nope. No. nah uh!" Leah says throwing shells over her shoulder

"Don't be too long Leah" Ste calls to her "We need to get to the airport"

"But I can't find any I like. I want to give one to mummy"

"But we already have that necklace" Ste says referring to a silver heart locket that they bought her a few days ago.

"I know but I like shells and I know mum will too"

Ste has a little rummage. "How about this pink one? It looks like a heart"

"I love it! Now one for me"

"Pick any shell quickly or we'll have to go without any shells"

Leah sighs and picks up and handful of shells and chucks them into her bag along with a fistful of sand.

Ste rolls his eyes and Lucas chucks in a load of shells too. He takes the kids by the hand and they head to the airport.


End file.
